What does my sponsorship pay for?

Your dollars go to empower orphans with the following:

1. A Family – Our goal is to do the best that we can to replace the families that have been taken from these children. Each child will live in a family unit of 24 children with a married couple as a mother and father, and an additional assistant that will be an “auntie”. We want to make each child feel special, safe, and wanted.
2. A Home – A child will live in a house with up to 12 brothers or sisters (boys and girls are separate). Each child has his or her own bed, shelf and drawer to keep their belongings in. There is also a large table for the children to use for their studies.
3. An Education – Each child will receive a Christian education. Your sponsorship will help pay for their school fees, school uniform, and supplies. Our goal is for the children to continue their education throughout university or vocational school. At home, they will also be learning scripture in the Bible, housekeeping, farming, and social skills.
4. Food and Clothing – Most of the children come to us with no more than the clothes on their back and often without shoes. Some are also malnourished. Your support will provide clothes, shoes, and three nutritious meals a day.
5. Health – The children are given medical check ups and immunizations regularly. In addition, they are taught about personal hygiene, healthy living, and will participate in physical activities on a daily basis.
6. Administrative Support – The care of nearly 100 children can only be as good as the staff caring for them. We strive to hire staff with strong Christian character and superior training and experience. Administrative costs include the areas of kitchen, nursing, security, and office support. Our goal is to keep these costs to a minimum in order to be the best stewards of the finances God provides.

How much does it cost to sponsor a child?

Full sponsorship of a child costs $90 per month. Partial sponsorships are also available for $30 or $60 a month. You can set up payments on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

How do I make sponsorship payments?

Credit Card or Checking/Savings Account (link this to eTap giving page and have it open a new window): Fill out your information. When you get to the “Gift Information” section, enter in the following:

• Donation Amount
• Fund Category (Orphan Care > choose Kipkaren or Ilula from the drop down list, depending on the Children’s Home you would like to sponsor)
• Recurring (set up automatic payments monthly, quarterly or annually)
• Comment (let us know if you are a new sponsor and we will send you a welcome package in the mail along with a profile of the child you are sponsoring. If you currently sponsor a child and are making a payment online, just indicate your child’s ID#)

Personal Check: Please make checks payable to Empowering Lives International and write your child’s sponsorship number in the memo section, do NOT write your child’s name. In accordance with IRS regulations, your child’s name must not be written on the check in order for your gift to be tax deductible. Send checks to: Empowering Lives International PO Box 67 Upland, CA 91785

Automatic Bill Pay:

A handy option to keep you up-to-date with your payments is having checks sent automatically through your bank by contacting your branch directly or setting up an automatic bill pay on your bank’s website. Again, please have the child’s sponsorship number be printed in the memo section, not the child’s name.

Will I receive a receipt letter?

Yes! If you contribute online, before submitting, please indicate how you prefer to receive communication, email or post mail. At the end of the year, we send receipt letters for the cumulative amount of donations made in the calendar year.

Will I receive a bill?

No. Your receipt from your last payment is your reminder to send in another payment. For those who sign up to receive receipt letters via post mail, your receipt will have a tear off section that you can send in with your next contribution. If you pay annually, we will send you a reminder letter after 12 months to ask if you would like to continue for another year.

What if I am behind in my donations?

We will send you a friendly reminder if for some reason you fall behind in your sponsorship. If you are unable to fulfill your commitment to sponsor the child, please contact us so that we can find another person to continue the sponsorship. If we do not hear from you within 90 days of the last payment, we will assume that you are unable to sponsor the child and we will continue to look for another sponsor.

How Do I Correspond With My Child?

From the child’s point of view, the most important aspects of sponsorship are your prayers and letters/emails. It would mean a great deal to your child to receive regular correspondence from you, at least a year. Your child will respond to any letter or email you send to them.

Send letters for your child to: Empowering Lives International Child Sponsorship Program PO Box 67 Upland, CA 91785 Send emails for your child to: sponsorships@empoweringlives.org

In your correspondence, we ask that you follow these simple guidelines:

- Be sure to write your child’s name and sponsorship number at the top of your letter AND on the envelope (or in the subject line of the email). Be creative with your stationery! Do not include your personal address or contact information in correspondence to your child.

- Please write neatly for ease of translation. (The children are learning English in school but may not be proficient enough to read your letter yet.)

- You may also send any FLAT items that fit inside the envelope (stickers, bookmarks, photos of your family, a thin paperback children’s book, etc…). If you send photos, please make sure that all persons are dressed appropriately. Please, no bathing suits or short shorts/skirts; in Kenyan culture, this kind of dress is inappropriate.

- Focus your writing on themes that the child can relate to. Please refrain from writing about material possessions (cars, homes, vacations, etc…) which will emphasize differences. We reserve the right to review each letter and any enclosed materials for compliance with our guidelines and decline any inappropriate communications.

- Encourage the child to believe in God and in himself/herself.

- Avoid asking what the child may want as we want your relationship to be based on mutual friendship rather than material gifts.

Can I send a gift to my child?

To maintain equality among the children, we are requesting that you NOT send gifts or packages for your child. You may send money for a birthday or Christmas gift and an appropriate selection of clothing, toiletries, and/or toys will be chosen for your child. The money could also be used for a birthday party to celebrate more than one child’s birthday. Again, we will always aim for equality among the children, so your gift may be used to benefit more than one child. When sending money for a gift, please write the designation on a note separate from the check so we do not confuse it with your regular sponsorship payment. If you are giving on line, write a note in the “Comments” section.

Will I receive updates on the children?

Yes, check out our website! We will be posting regular updates as we receive news from the field. You will also receive an annual Progress Report Card from your child with an updated photo each year.